Explosive-engine.



E. G. -'PLUMMER.

EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.-

APPLICATION FILED APR.25, I9I0.

EZRA GUY PLUMMER, OF ALTOONA, IOR A.

EXPLOSIVE-ENGINE.

asses.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 26, 1915.

Application filed April 25, 1910. Serial No. 557,584.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EZRA G. PLUMMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Altoona, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Explosive-Engine, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to provide an explosive engine of the stationary single cylinder type of simple, durable and inexpensive construction.

A further objection is to provide improved and simplified valve operating mechanism so arranged and constructed as to operate the valves quickly as required for high speed work and also so arranged as to avoid all lateral pressure or strains upon the valve stems to prevent the valve stems from wearing in their bearings and also to minimize friction and in this connection to provide means whereby both valves may be operated from a single cam to thereby preserve the relative times of the valve operation.

My invention consists in certain details, in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of an engine embodying my invention, the balance wheel being removed and its position being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 2 shows an enlarged, detail view, partly in section, to illustrate the cam for operating the valves and both of the disks that are engaged by the cam. Fig. 3 shows an enlarged, detail, sectional view illustrating the engine shaft, the gearing device for the cam and the disk for operating the exhaust valve stem and connected parts. Fig. 4 shows a detail sectional view illustrating the means for ad justing the rod that operates the exhaust valve stem, and Fig. 5 shows a top or plan view of the lever for advancing and retarding the spark.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, T have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate the engine base and crank case having mounted therein the engine shaft 11 on which a fly wheel is mounted, said fly wheel being shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. The engine cylinder is indicated by the numeral 12. A carbureter 13 is connected therewith which communicates with the intake valve chamber 14. The exhaust valve chamber is indicated by the numeral 15. All of these parts are of the ordinary construction and of themselves comprise no part of my present invention.

Valves of ordinary construction are provided for the intake and exhaust valve chambers and the exhaust valve is provided with a valve stem 16 extended downwardly from it and provided with a head 17, the coil spring 18 being mounted on the valve stem to normally hold it seated. Beneath the lower end of the valve stem 16 is a stationary bearing 19 in line with the valve stem 16. Slidingly mounted in this bearing is a valve operating rod 20 having at its lower end a flat disk 21. The upper end of the rod 20 is screw threaded and a locking nut 22 is mounted thereon and above the locking nut is a screw threaded sleeve 23 having arounded head 24. This sleeve may be adjusted up an d down relative to the rod 20 and locked in any position of its adjustment by the nut 22 and said nut may rest upon the top of the bearing 19 to limit the downward movementof the rod 20. The intake valve casing is provided with a valve of ordinary construction to which a valve stem 25 is connected, which valve stem extends upwardly through the valve casing and is yieldingly held to its upper limit to seat the valve by a spring 26. Pivotally supported adjacent to the valve casing is a lever 27 with one end in engagement with the top of the valve stem. Mounted in. the stationary bearing 28 is a valve operating rod 29 which is extended through the lever 27 and which is provided with an adjusting nut 29" and a locking nut 30 to engage the lever 27 Mounted adjacent to the lower end of the rod 29 is a lever 31 fulcrumed at 32 and having a part 33 to engage the lower end of the rod 29 and also having a part 34% extending downwardly. A stationary bearing 35 is mounted on the engine base and a rod 36 is slidingly mounted in it having one end in engagement with the part 3%: of the lever 31 and on its other end is a flat disk 37 arranged vertically and in position adjacent to the lower face of the disk 21.

The means for operating the disks 21 and 37 to open the valves, comprises a small pinion 38 on the engine shaft 11 in mesh with a large pinion 39 fixed to a shaft 40, which shaft is mounted in a bearing sleeve 41 screwed into the engine frame. On the shaft 40 is a cam a2. I have also illustrated in the accompanying drawings a spark controlling mechanism to be operated from the shaft 40 but which forms no part of my present invention and therefore a detailed description thereof is unnecessary in this connection. The reference numerals 41 to 50 inclusive are applied to this spark controlling mechanism to indicate the various parts thereof.

In practical use when the shaft 11' is rotated the shaft 40 will also be rotated in a reverse direction and at a decreased speed. I preferably arrange these gears so that the shaft 40 makes one revolution to two revolutions of the shaft 11. The cam attached to the shaft 40 will successively open the exhaust and intake valves as required for the operation of the engine. It is to be noted that in my improved engine there can be no lateral strains upon the valve stem 16 because it is moved only by the rod 20 which moves in a straight line. Furthermore there will be no rotation of the valve stem on account of the rotary movement applied to the rod 20 and the said rod 20 will be free to rotate because it does not carry the valve stem or valve with it when turning. By positioning the cam so that it strikes upon the disk 21 adjacent to the periphery to the lower surface thereof, it is obvious that when the cam strikes the disk it will turn the disk around with it and thus avoid a considerable amount of friction and wear on the cam and disk and it will also accomplish the desirable result of preventing lateral strains or pressure upon the rod 20 which would tend to cause the rod 20 to wear on one side of its bearing. Therefore by having the rod 20 entirely independent of the valve stem and by having the cam engage the periphery of the disk on the rod 20, all side pressure upon the rod 20 is avoided and a considerable amount of friction and wear between the cam and the disk is also avoided by the turning of the disk with the cam and at the same time by disconnecting the rod 20 and the valve stem the movement given to the valve stem to open it is always supplied in a straight line and lateral strains and pressures are avoided.

Another material advantageis gained in my invention by placing the disk 37 in an upright position adjacent to the disk 21 so that both will be engaged and operated by the same cam. I so arrange the disk 37 that the cam will strike upon its face near the pe riphery thereof for the same reason as before explained in connection with the disk 21. By providing a bearing sleeve all for the lever 46 I avoid wear upon the lever such as would take place if the shaft 40 extended through and in contact with the lever and by having the contact point for the circuit breaker formed integral with the single cam that operates the valves it is obvious that it must always be in proper position in relation to the disks 21 and 37.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an engine of the class described, the combination of two valve stems, two rods for operating said valve stems, each being rotatably and slidingly mounted in positions at right angles to each other, disks on the adjacent ends of said rods, a cam rotatably mounted and positioned relative to the disks so as to successively engage the adjacent faces of the disks near their peripheries as the cam is rotated and to thereby rotate said disks and at the same time move the rods on which the disks are mounted, means for rotating the cam, and means whereby a longitudinal movement of either of said rods will operate their respective valve stems, for the purposes stated.

2. In an engine of the class described, the combination of an engine having an intake and an exhaust valve stem, two operating rods for said valve stems, rotatably and slidably mounted in position at right angles to each other, disks on the adjacent ends of said rods with a cam rotatably mounted and positioned relative to the disks so that in its rotation said cam successively engages the adjacent faces of the disks near their peripheries as the cam is rotated and thereby rotates said disks and at the same time moves the rods on which the disks are mounted, means for rotating the cam, adjusting means between the exhaust valve stem and its operating rod, a lever for operating said intake valve, an adjustable rod for operating said lever, and a bell crank lever between said adjustable rod and one of said operating rods.

Des Moines, Iowa, April 4, 1910.

EZRA GUY PLUMMER. lVitnesses W. A. Lorrns, MARY VVALLAon.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

